Cottage SceneLogo Design Contest

Thanks for your submissions.

I am new at this and am not sure exactly what to say. There are things that I see that just appeal to me and things that don't and it is tough sometimes to put it into words if that makes sense?

I will comment on the first couple concepts (#2 and #3 being the same concept with different backgrounds) and wait for a couple more before I try to rank anything? From a post I read in the forum, I got the impression that if I like a concept, I should rank just one of the entries from that concept so I don't have 4 very similar logos in the top spot for instance?

#1 I was a bit worried that someone would look at the link to rustys and do a log that was very similar. That's my fault. I don't want to mimic that logo, I just wanted to show how they used a border and I guess a gradient around the edges of the font. On that note, I do like what you did with the 'cottage' part. I think the 'scene' part should maybe not be in a small spot beneath. I would like it to have as much emphasis as the 'cottage' part of the name if that makes sense. I think I would perhaps pick a different font. The house looks a bit too much like a house. I might try to spend a little time looking at other logos or images to try to help.
#2 I like that the font is 'smooth', but I think I would like it a bit 'chunkier' and stylized than that? It looks a little more feminine than I am looking for maybe?

I have updated the brief slightly. I included a couple more links to logos I have seen online. I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do. I think what I am trying to show is that those logos sort of jump out at me. The 'smoky mountain' one in the link has a neat font with a defined edge and the mountains in the background make it stand out. Of course, mountains are not appropriate in my case, but just trying to help with ideas?

Any suggestions for ways I can help you guys would be appreciated.

Hello! Here are some hints for getting the most out of your contest:

~~ Rank designs daily -- this will encourage more participation.
~~ Ranking designs daily will also keep your contest from getting cluttered.
~~ The more feedback you provide, the better results you are going to see.
~~ Designers are not offended by "Not Interested"
~~ Over-use of "Not Interested" discourages participation.
~~ Ranking is a non-monetary means of showing appreciation for designers hard work.
~~ Designers earn points for ranked designs. We like to earn points.

1st place - 50 points
2nd place - 20 points
3rd place - 10 points
4-6th place - 5 points
7-10 place - 3 points
10th on - 1 point

More detailed information on how to get the most out of your contest can be found here:
https://logotournament.com/forum/general_discussion/914

#4 and #5. I prefer #5 over #4.
I like the graphic you chose for the top of the logo. It doesn't look like it is from a generic clipart library. The font is a bit too thick. I see you are trying to make it similar to the 'smoky mountain' logo. If you compare the 'S' and 'C' from that logo to this one, you can see what I mean. The font in that logo is slightly slimmer. I think the orange border is difficult to see. I wonder if we went with a much lighter colour in the middle and a darker well define border if it would be a bit easier to read?

I have been coming up with concepts for my site and I am thinking I am going to use more blues than greens. I wonder if I could see more blues in the fonts rather than greens. I like the idea of having a background colour behind all of the text like #17. Something about the font in #17 makes it a bit difficult to read. Maybe if the font was a bit thicker and the text was a bit lighter in colour it would stand out against the dark background of the font?

I think in most of the logos that include a building, the building doesn't really look a lot like a cottage. I am going to try to round up some photos and stick them up online so everyone can get some ideas. I want the my site and logo to really represent what it means to be a cottager. It is a lifestyle. Though this site will help people find cottages for sale and for rent, I don't want it to look like the typical "real estate" site/logo. The building in the logo may not even be that important.

Cottages look like this and that, there are 100 different cottage styles all around the world. It's not a lifestyle.
It's just a word. We are not living in your brain. pls show us THE (your) cottage then we'll go on with this.

thx.

I'm sorry for the comment above, there was too much "guessing" yesterday in several contests.

Ouch.. I only just noticed your comments here. Some of the logos early on had buildings that looked like a barn or a 2 storey house. That was what I was getting at. Sorry for the confusion, I need to take the blame for that. Cottaging really is a lifestyle though. I sold cottages on Georgian Bay in Ontario Canada for 12 years and there are people from the city that drive for hours every weekend to get up to their cottage and relax and spend time on the beach or in their boats. I will try to post a few images online and link to them so you can see what I think of when I think of cottages.

Hey everyone..
I have been struggling to find images with ideas for you, so you can see what it looks like in my area and get a better feel for what cottaging is all about in ontario.

Here are a few pictures taken at my cottage. They show the cottage, the landscape and the beach as well as the kids playing on the raft.
http://www.cottages.net/cottagescene/img1.jpg
http://www.cottages.net/cottagescene/img2.jpg
http://www.cottages.net/cottagescene/img3.jpg
http://www.cottages.net/cottagescene/img4.jpg

Here is a property for sale in my area. Take a look through the photos for an idea of the scenery and views etc..
http://cottages.net/index.php?slideshow=true&vendorid=27

I don't know if this is helpful at all. I realize it is tough to get inside the head of the contest holder. I am pleased with what I am seeing however. There are some very creative ideas and I want to thank everyone. If there is anything else I can do, let me know.

it helps a lot :)

first ranking submission looks great!
good luck for the contest

I would like to thank everyone who participated in my contest. I am very pleased with all the creative entries. I recommended the site to a friend who also ran a contest and I will be back for more in the future.
Thanks again.